Point Loma, CA: Party animals, er, plants

Today’s guest photographer Genevieve Petre says she “was on a New Years day walk and strolled upon these party animals” in Point Loma, San Diego, California. This hilarious picture has inspired me to make “post-holiday plants” the theme for this weekend’s posts.
We humans are often in a funny mood in January, suffering from a touch of too-much-fun-fatigue after all the holiday celebrations and New Year’s Eve hoopla. It’s time for a new start, according to our calendars, yet nature is still in the midst of winter dormancy; the fresh beginning of springtime is still far off.

Do plants experience any of this malaise? I personally think so. For example, this year, some plants don’t seem to know whether to act like it’s still winter or already spring, with the unseasonably warm temperatures in many parts of the world causing many plants to sprout, or even blossom, prematurely.

Also, let’s not forget the plants who, like the topiary bear-plants above, have been roped into participating in human holiday celebrations. Tune in tomorrow for more on post-holiday plants!